


Not for the faint of heart

by geewritessometimes



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Cuddling, Established Relationship, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Character Death, Pre-Canon, Protective Meis, Service Top Meis, Service everything Meis, copious use of the word fuck, fuck 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25527523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geewritessometimes/pseuds/geewritessometimes
Summary: Just Meis and Gueira being in love in the early days of Mad Burnish.
Relationships: Gueira/Meis (Promare)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	Not for the faint of heart

**Author's Note:**

> I drew a piece to accompany this story, check that ish outttt: https://twitter.com/geedraws/status/1345018160450310145

**Prologue**

Lightning storms are pretty common in the Waste. The sky will get all black and heavy, and suddenly it’s raining down bolts of electricity on every square foot of sand for a hundred miles in every direction. No rain, just lightning. Burnish can survive lightning strikes, electricity isn’t all that different from fire, but getting hit is pretty unpleasant. A big enough bolt is usually enough to stun you for a few minutes. As such, Meis does not fuck with lightning storms. So, when he sees one brewing above him, he gets on his dirt bike and hauls ass off to a cluster of caves he spotted in the west earlier that morning. He hasn’t spent much time in this area of the Waste, but he finds his way back to them in a matter of about thirty minutes. It’s not a moment too soon, because he’s starting to smell ozone. 

He rides into the mouth of the largest cave and cuts the engine just as the first bolt strikes the ground, about a hundred meters off. He’s so preoccupied with watching it blast the nearby cacti into ashes that it isn’t until he dismounts the bike and takes a few steps into the cave that he realizes he’s not alone. He stops short when he sees the other guy- looks about his age, with wild curly auburn hair and golden-brown skin- sitting up against the opposite wall. He’s watching Meis with wide eyes, frozen to the spot. He looks about two seconds away from blasting the cave to pieces and making a run for it. Meis holds his hands up in a gesture of peace. 

“Sorry, thought this place was empty.” he explains. 

The guy eyes him up, scrutinizing. He eventually relaxes a tiny bit. Just a tiny bit. Meis sits down right where he is, doesn’t come any closer. Shows he’s not a threat. 

“Pretty rude. Just barging into a dude’s cave.” the guy finally says. His tone is joking, tinged with a little tension and a dash of lingering suspicion. 

Meis chuckles. “Sorry. Had to get out of the storm.” 

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here too. Don’t normally live here. Might start, though. Rent out the other caves like apartments. Become a landlord mogul.” 

“Pff.” Meis looks him over. “You must be pretty powerful. If you think you can pull that off and not get fucked over.” 

“Maybe I am.” the guy answers, raising an eyebrow in challenge. 

Meis studies him a bit longer. Raising a hand, he forms a miniature model of himself out of flames and sets him down on the cave floor. Flame-Meis marches over to the guy and opens his arms in invitation. The guy smirks at him, and creates his own mini-me. They meet at the halfway point between them. Flame-Meis lays down the gauntlet by blasting Flame-Stranger with twin rivers of fire. Flame-Stranger dodges, rolls, and shoots rapid-fire fireballs in response. They battle it out for a few minutes. Meis is impressed by the guy’s control and precision; he’s just as good as Meis is. It’s not a huge display of power, but it suggests that this guy has some serious burnish skill. Meis wants to win his favor, so he lets the Flame-Stranger defeat Flame-Meis with a blade to the chest. 

They smile at each other when it’s done. The guy has almost completely relaxed by now, leaning much more casually against the wall with one leg bent and one extended out. 

“What’s your name?” he asks. 

“Meis.” 

“I’m Gueira.” 

Meis is quietly pleased that he’s earned the right to know his name. He already finds this guy fascinating. 

“Pretty nice bike.” the guy, Gueira, says, gesturing. 

“Yeah. Only thing I took when I ran.” Meis doesn’t have to clarify further. Every Waste-dwelling burnish knows exactly what “ran” means. “Where’s your ride?” 

“Don’t have one.” Gueira looks hesitant to admit it, because it means admitting that he doesn’t have an escape vehicle. You don’t give away your cards like that to just anyone out here. Meis feels a weird tingle in his chest at the thought that Gueira already trusts him enough to tell him the truth. 

“ _ What.  _ How can you not have a ride? How did you even get out this far?” 

“Walking. Hitch-hiking, if someone looked trustworthy.” 

Meis is baffled. He’s never met anyone in the Waste who travelled on foot. It’s just too vast an area. Way too dangerous. And they’re about a hundred miles out from Promepolis. He just blinks at Gueira, wide-eyed. 

“It wasn’t that bad. And I’m gonna get a bike eventually, as soon as I can scrounge up enough stuff worth trading for one.” Gueira defends. 

“Jesus, man. You’re crazy.” 

Gueira smirks. “Yeah, probably.” 

Meis studies him some more, trying to restrain the words that are about to come tumbling out of his mouth. Gueira’s very good-looking. He has pretty brown eyes. Big, well-shaped nose. Carved cupid’s bow. Pretty hands. And he must be a special kind of batshit crazy to run to the Waste with no bike or car or anything, with just a  _ fuck it  _ attitude. Exactly the kind of batshit crazy Meis likes. God it’s a terrible idea. He shouldn’t say it. He’ll just scare him off. He’ll look like a loony. He shouldn’t. 

He says it anyways. 

“You can ride with me for a while, if you want. Until you can get your own bike.” 

Gueira raises his eyebrows at Meis. He just stares for a long time, like he’s trying to figure out if Meis is serious, or like he’s trying to determine if the risk is worth the reward. Meis is unnecessarily nervous waiting for him to speak. 

“So you’d take on the burden of another companion for- for what? Just to help me out? You don’t even know me.” 

“Wouldn’t be a burden. It’d be helpful to have another pair of eyes and hands. Especially someone as powerful as you.”

Gueira stares at the floor, picking at his nails. Finally: “If you fuck me over, I will cut your dick off and do  _ brujeria  _ with it.” 

Meis laughs. “I won’t. Promise.” 

Gueira meets his eyes. After a moment, he smiles. It’s really cute. Meis pretends it doesn’t make his knees a little weak. 

  
  


~~~ 

  
  


It’s a few months later and Gueira is still riding with him. He found out a few days after the lightning storm that the kid has only been living in the Waste for less than a year, and so he’s been teaching him the ropes- the sites to find the best junk, where all the underground freshwater springs are, where to watch out for sandstorms, where the best uninhabited buildings are, all that. They drive all over the southern Waste hunting for valuable garbage that Gueira can someday trade for his own ride, camping and talking and feeling each other out. When they drive, Gueira sits behind him on the bike with his arms around Meis’ waist, at first respectfully frigid and now rather familiar and snuggly. 

Tonight they’re camped in a canyon in some pseudo-badlands on the way to a site that Meis has heard of but never been to. Supposedly, it’s the wreckage of a former tech quarter, kind of like Silicon Valley. If the rumor is true, then there’s gonna be lots of valuable materials there. It will definitely get them closer to their goal of getting Gueira a bike and parting ways, but… 

Meis is selfish. He doesn’t want to part ways. He likes Gueira. A lot. Over the last few months, he’s learned that Gueira is fiery, passionate, opinionated, and wild. He’ll rant for hours and hours about burnish discrimination, but also housing inequality, wealth inequality, shitty public school education, Freeze Force, ethics, and just about anything else under the sun that is important to him. He’s funny, too- he and Meis have the same sense of humor, and so all day long, they’re constantly quoting movies and videos at each other to crack each other up. He loves horchata and Fireball. He loves to sleep, and naps any chance he gets. The thing he misses most about normal civilian life is going out dancing every Friday night in Miami. He has three older sisters and a mom that he left behind. He was on track to becoming a drywaller before he ran. He’s utterly hypnotizing to Meis. 

“We’ll probably get there by midday tomorrow.” Meis says to him, tossing another dried husk into the campfire. He doesn’t wanna go, but he’s not a baby. He can keep it to himself. He’ll take Gueira wherever he wants to go, regardless of his own personal feelings. He’ll help him save for that damn bike cuz it’s what he wants and Meis is already devoted. 

Gueira sighs. “Right.”

“You alright?” Meis asks. He sounds… melancholy. Meis returns to his side, sitting back against the canyon wall next to him. 

“Eh.” 

Fuck, well now Meis is worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Man… I just. I don’t wanna go to this damn site.” He turns to look Meis in the eye. “I don’t wanna go scavenger hunting in any other sites, either.” 

Meis blinks in confusion. “You’re tired of it?” 

“... No. That’s not it.” 

_ Oh.  _

Meis searches his eyes for any sign that he might be misinterpreting, but he’s so clearly not. Wow, it’s  _ so  _ obvious all of a sudden, and he doesn’t know how he didn’t notice before now. His heart starts pounding like crazy, and before he can lose his nerve, he slides a hand into Gueira’s hair and kisses him.

Gueira responds like he’s been dying for it for months. He moans. His hands fly up and grip onto Meis’ arms and he kisses back with tongue, tilting his head for a better angle. Fucking Christ. This is the first time anything in Meis’ shit-awful, pathetic life has ever gone right. He tastes like cinnamon. 

They make out for a while, until Gueira pulls away (though only far enough to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand). He keeps his other hand fisted in the front of Meis’ shirt.

“Fuck. Wanted to do that for so long.” he says breathlessly, grinning. 

“Yeah, you have no idea.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

Giving up on the scavenging and saving turns out to be the right choice in the end, anyways- it’s only a few weeks later that, together, they discover the technique of turning flames into solid objects like armor, weapons, and motorcycles. 

**~**

They meet the other founding members of Mad Burnish two years later. They’ve made something of a name for themselves by then by regularly riding into Promepolis on their flame bikes (which they’ve affectionately named Dallas and Miami) and burning down Foresight Labs’ buildings. They started doing it just because they were angry and frustrated and  _ could _ , didn’t care about the publicity or anything like that, but it’s made them notorious in the Waste. Nowadays, whenever they introduce themselves to other burnish, they usually react with wide eyes and some dazzled stammering. They try to keep to themselves, avoid the hype, and it’s largely successful- not many people would recognize them out of their armor. But, eventually, they encounter the others and everything quickly becomes much bigger than themselves.

They meet Sagai first. She’s the first burnish woman Meis has ever met who travels and hustles alone. It’s hard enough for a man to tough it out alone in the Waste without a partner, and it’s even harder for burnish women- especially those who aren’t so adept at harnessing and using their flames. Burnish gang members and other random Waste-dwelling burnish men would normally snatch a woman traveling alone before she even got past the ten-mile mark outside Promepolis. Every burnish woman he’s met in the Waste has a partner, because they know better than to try it solo. Except Sagai. They run into her outside a trading post because, when Gueira happens to slip and gashes his arm open on a rock and they ask around for medical help, everyone points them to her and her medical tent. She cleans the cut, stitches it, and wraps it with the ease of a practiced professional, and Meis has to ask. 

“Were you a doctor?” 

“Registered nurse. I maintain this shitty first-aid tent here now instead.” she answers, sleek green hair bobbing as she tilts Gueira’s arm to inspect the binding job. “Keep the bandage on for a few days. Keep the wound kind of sticky-moist. That’s the best environment for the skin to heal in. Rubbing alcohol if it gets red or itchy. You can pull out the stitches in about two weeks.” 

They thank her and start to leave, but she stops them by clearing her throat.

“I know who you both are.” she says. “I have a proposition.” 

Meis raises an eyebrow at her over his shoulder. “... What?” 

“I have some friends who’ve heard about you two and want to help. They could make it- this, burning Foresight buildings- organized, professional. They could turn it into something. They’re already a gang, of sorts. All they need is a leader or two.” 

Meis and Gueira share a look.

Sagai introduces them to her friends that night. She takes them to a blown-out gas station about fifteen miles from the trade outpost, where this “gang” is camping. Everyone stands when they see who she’s brought, and suddenly there’s a group of nine excited, overeager burnish crowding around them, shaking their hands. 

“It’s an honor!”

“You guys are fucking legends!”

“We’ve wanted to meet you for so long!” 

“Sagai, how the hell-?” 

Meis is overwhelmed and uncomfortable with the attention. Gueira, on the other hand, flourishes under it. Sagai, at their side, looks amused. 

“Whoa, whoa, not all at once! Come on, come on, let’s sit down or something.” Gueira ushers everyone back down into a rough, seated semicircle. “Okay, so tell us the deal. You wanna join our bullshittery?”

“Yes!” everyone answers in unison. 

They eventually decide to form an official gang. They’ll live communally, plan raids communally, the whole nine. Maybe someday even liberate the burnish race, if they do it right. A dark-skinned girl with big orange-slice earrings named Raya suggests the name  _ Mad Burnish,  _ and everyone agrees. Meis is still slightly wary, but they seem like good people, and Gueira is thrilled about the whole thing. They decide to relocate their stuff from their current cave to the blown-out gas station, which he supposes is now their official base, two days later. Three days after that, they all convince Sagai to join as a resident medic. It’s all  _ a lot _ , in a very short span of time. Meis usually likes to take his time making decisions, analyze them from every angle, determine all the possible dangers. Meeting a bunch of strangers one night and moving in with them all and swearing a pact of loyalty two days later is a bit out of his comfort zone. But at the same time, he has an odd feeling that this is really important, and that he should just charge full speed ahead. 

It doesn’t take long for the other Mad Burnish members to catch on to their relationship. They don’t tell them outright, but they don’t exactly hide it either. It’s nothing unusual, really- when living as a fugitive out in the Waste, one of the best survival tools is a loyal partner. Sometimes, it means the difference between life and death. And if your travel buddy also happens to be extremely hot and willing? Even better. Everyone who’s heard the names  _ Meis and Gueira  _ probably has their suspicions, just because they’re known to travel and work together. It’s probably like finding out that your two favorite celebrities are fucking. 

Suspicions really only get confirmed after the first few nights of everyone sleeping in the same common room together. When it was just the two of them, after feelings got confessed and they agreed to stick together indefinitely, Meis would sleep with a hand fisted in the front of Gueira’s shirt, just in case someone managed to sneak up on them and try anything. He often still does. He also always insisted, and still insists, on Gueira sleeping against the wall wherever they are, so that he can act as a shield between him and the outside world. He does this now, too, and the only difference is that now they have an audience to see it. They see the way they act with each other. They see the way Meis spoons Gueira against the wall every night. They’re partners. Everyone just accepts their authority as co-leaders and says no more about it. 

In turn, they quickly discern who sticks with who among their new comrades. They all look out for each other now, of course, but it’s also obvious who knew each other before joining up as a group of nine. There’s a guy named Ari, who they later learn to be an incredible marksman, who is practically joined at the hip with Tayola, a woman who cooks some of the best food Meis has ever tasted. They learn that Tulip and May, two burnish girls who are absolute repair whizes, were in a relationship even before they ran, and have stuck together ever since (they even got their flames at the same time). Raya, Minty, and Sagai are close friends, and traveled together for some time before Sagai set up her medic tent and Raya and Minty joined the gas station group. Nazar and Odo are twin brothers who fled to the Waste only a few months ago. Gogo is the only one who traveled solo before meeting the others, and he says he would never ever go back. 

And so, suddenly,  _ Meis and Gueira  _ have become  _ Meis, Gueira, and Mad Burnish.  _ It feels like they’re hurtling towards something grand and world-shaking. 

**~**

They’re only human. And when you live communally, constantly sharing space with others, even sleeping communally in the same room, it’s hard to… you know. So they find ways. It’s become standard practice to send couples out on raids together when the job is small enough for two people because they’ve all started doing exactly what Meis and Gueira are doing right now- pulling off the road back to base and stopping to make the most of the rare moment of privacy. This time, though, it  _ fucks  _ them, and not in the good way.

Gueira, when he gets really excited, and if he isn’t careful to restrain himself, generates plumes of flames. They discovered this the first time they slept together- he started glowing right from the start, and by the end, he had encased them in a massive sphere of swirling red fire which actually melted Meis’ dirt bike and turned some of the surrounding sand into glass. It’s great for Meis’ ego, sure, but it’s also a huge hazard, for obvious reasons. The few times they’ve done stuff, silently and under blankets, back on the base, Gueira has to focus to hold the flames back in order to avoid torching the whole gas station to the ground. 

When they go out into the Waste together, though, he can let go completely. Which is what’s happening now: he’s riding Meis with his fingers digging into Meis’ chest and head thrown back, towering wall of blazing red fire all around them cascading up into the sky. It’s beautiful. Meis has always been dazzled by Gueira’s power- the raw, unbridled passion of it, the deep burgundy-cherry color of his flames. When they both start getting close, Meis lets his own flames spiral upwards to twist and twine around Gueira’s, creating little purple bursts of light where the blue meets the red. Their flames love each other- Meis can feel it. They mix together happily, fusing and burning together, just like their owners. Meis has crossed streams, so to speak, by accident with a few other burnish before, and he’s never particularly liked the feeling of their flames. But Gueira’s resonate with his perfectly. When they both finally come, their combined flames rocket into the sky and explode in a massive burst of purple fireworks, sending down showers of little magenta stars all around them. 

It’s about the last moment of peace before all hell breaks loose. Gueira is panting against his shoulder, having not even caught his breath yet, when Meis hears the sirens start up. His eyes widen and he sits up, taking Gueira up with him.

“Fuck.” 

They both look back over the Waste in the direction of Promepolis and, sure enough, there are the Freeze Force tank lights, probably ten or fifteen miles off. Probably a patrol squad. Meis realizes in horror that they’ve seen their not-so-little fireworks display and it’s given them away. 

After that, it’s a mad dash to get their clothes back on and hop on their bikes. Like the idiots who know nothing about effectively running a terrorist organization that they are, they take off back towards base, as if they can outrun the tanks. Later they’ll look back and shake their heads- never lead Freeze Force back to base before trying to shake them off first. Base is fairly close, but by the time they get there, the six tanks are practically right on top of them. They have just enough time to jump off of Dallas and Miami, stumble inside, and yell:

“ _ Freeze Force!” _

No one else has ever dealt with anything like this before, either. So everyone immediately scatters, leaving everything behind and running out the back doors of the gas station and out into the sand. Within seconds, they’re pinned against the back wall and surrounded by tanks. Meis shares a look with Gueira, who nods. They transform into their armor and gather everyone else behind them. Six tanks is probably more than the two of them can handle, but damn it, they’re gonna try. They’ll protect the others ‘til their dying breaths. 

But they don’t have to. All of a sudden, a massive wall of neon blue and magenta flames rockets up out of the ground between the Mad Burnish and Freeze Force, bigger and more powerful than anything Meis has ever seen. A moment later and blue arrows are raining down from the sky, through the flames and towards the tanks, which go spiraling into the air when the arrows strike them. Meis frowns and looks up on the roof of the gas station, where it all seems to be coming from. 

Standing there is a young man, slim and small, dressed in all leather, with long green hair cut in an angled bob. He’s wielding a flaming bow. Meis sees his purple eyes flashing. 

“The fuck?” Meis mutters. It gets Gueira’s head turning, followed by everyone else’s. They watch as the stranger creates a motorcycle out of flames, just like Meis and Gueira can do and have taught the others to do. The engine revs and he goes flying off the roof and into the blue flames, right towards the tanks. 

“Is he fucking nuts?” Gueira asks, dumbfounded. 

They watch as the stranger weaves effortlessly through the toppled tanks and the Freeze Force officers, who have started firing on him with everything they have. As he weaves, he effortlessly snipes every single ice weapon out of the hands of every single officer with his arrows, rendering them completely unarmed and defenseless. Meis has never seen power or skill like this, ever. 

As soon as the officers are disarmed, Gueira makes a huge fireball and throws it through the wall of flames at them. But the stranger shoots it down. 

“What the fuck, man?” Gueira shouts. 

The stranger rides back through the wall and halts in front of them. 

“You’re not going to kill any more people.” he orders in a surprisingly quiet and gentle voice. “Let’s go.” 

And then he lets the flame wall cascade even higher into the sky and encircle the officers, effectively trapping them in a burning cylinder of blue and purple. Mad Burnish dumbfoundedly follow the stranger as he rides off on his bike. Once they’re a safe distance away, he lets the flames fizzle out and release the officers so that they can return home. 

The stranger introduces himself as Lio Fotia. No one’s heard of him because he’s been riding solo since getting his flames, but he says he’s been watching Mad Burnish and their activities for a long time. He’s angry. He’s tired of Mad Burnish’s long trail of casualties giving the rest of the burnish race a bad name and a terrifying reputation. Despite the fact that he’s essentially chewing them out, it’s unanimous- everyone recognizes a born leader when they see one, and they ask. He accepts, on the condition that no one kills without reason anymore. It’s not even until he says it that Meis realizes yeah, that’s probably… a really good idea.

Lio changes everything, and not just because he’s the most powerful burnish to ever live. Meis and Gueira both know that he’s destined for greatness. They reshape their lives accordingly- they dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to protecting him and assisting him as his generals, however they can. They don’t say it out loud, but they have a mutual understanding that, if needed, they’ll give up their lives to save Lio. In this one instance, Meis doesn’t get prickly and anxious at the prospect of losing Gueira; this is bigger than both of them. 

“I think he’s going to save the whole world.” Gueira whispers to Meis one night as they’re lying in their bedroll. 

Neither of them have any idea just how right he’ll end up being. 

**~**

“You wanna send him by himself?” Meis asks, tone way too disrespectful for the person he’s talking to. It just sort of comes out.

“Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t, but I need you for something else at the same time.” Lio answers patiently. 

“What?”

“While Gueira is destroying the gun shop, I want you and me to hit the lab on High Street. I would do it alone and let you both take the gun shop, but security is too high to risk it. I’ll need your help. And, with him making a scene on the other side of the city, Freeze Force will at least be somewhat divided and spread thin. And hopefully some of the others will help by starting little fires here and there, too.” 

Meis inhales to calm himself down. It’s a good plan. The gun shop  _ has  _ to go, that’s non-negotiable- it’s the first in the city to start selling freeze weapons to civilians with licenses to carry. It’s a recipe for undisciplined civilian aggression towards burnish in the city. The lab is also a must, for obvious reasons. It’s clever of Lio to do them both at once to minimize security in both locations. Meis just… doesn’t like the thought of Gueira going in alone. 

“And you know his armor isn’t exactly the stealthiest.” Lio continues. “I want to actually get  _ inside  _ before burning it.” 

It all makes perfect sense. It really does. Of course Gueira’s armor isn’t right for the job. He likes to look huge and intimidating, at the expense of agility and stealth. Better suited to a big flashy raid on a smaller shop. 

“Yeah. Yeah, great. Let’s do it.” Meis forces himself to say. “You told him yet?” 

“No, but I will in a moment. If you’re okay with it, that is.” Lio’s always commanding, always dominant, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t value the feelings and input of his comrades. He’s still commanding now- he’s just commanding Meis to decide whether he’s gonna let his feelings get in the way or not. 

Meis swallows it down. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’m with you, Boss.” 

Lio nods and heads to the common room, presumably to inform the others of the plan.

It’ll be fine. Gueira is more than capable. He survived just fine those few months before he met Meis didn’t he? It’s just that… This is the first time they’ll ever be apart for a mission. This is the first time they’ll ever be apart  _ period.  _

Everything goes fine, at first. 

Gueira starts- they watch him ride into the city, and after about half an hour, they hear the combined Freeze Force and Fire Department sirens. That’s their cue, and they move in. The rest of Mad Burnish take off into the city and scatter to start smaller fires. Lio and Meis head to Uptown. Getting into the lab is a piece of cake, and they gather some good intel and make sure the employees have escape routes while they start setting the fires. Working alongside Lio always naturally engenders a sense of hope and confidence, and so Meis relaxes a little. They torch the place badly enough that it will be inoperable for at least two or three months and then slip out. Getting out of the city is just as easy as getting back in, as the feds are still spread thin all across Promepolis. They ride off into the desert, back to the base, and wait for the others to trickle back in. 

By midnight, everyone has returned except Gueira. Meis is nauseous with anxiety. He’s been pacing back and forth in the sand outside the base for hours now, eyes flicking to the horizon every other second, hoping to catch sight of a familiar motorcycle. The Waste is cruelly silent and empty. He knew this was a bad idea, he fucking  _ knew it.  _ His shitty brain keeps supplying him with images of Gueira getting captured, chained up in freeze rings, experimented on. He might throw up. 

“If he’s not back in an hour, we’re going out to find him.” comes Lio’s voice from behind him. He turns and sees their fearless leader standing with his arms crossed. “But if he’s just being tailed, we have to give him time to shake them.” 

“Yeah.” Meis says. He wants to go out  _ now.  _ It feels like every second he’s not out there searching is a second wasted. If Gueira is getting beaten or tortured somewhere, every second matters. 

“Take a deep breath.” Lio commands, eyes flickering down to Meis’ hands. He looks down and oh, they’re flaming. “Save it for whoever is making him late.” 

Oh he will. Whoever has gotten their disgusting fucking hands on his Gueira is going to regret ever being born. 

But, then, thirty minutes later, he hears the rev of an engine in the distance. Red flames dance in the vast blackness of the nocturnal Waste, and Meis lets out a bone-shaking sigh of relief. 

When Gueira rides up and comes to a stop, Meis drags his ass right off the seat of his bike and into his arms. Gueira laughs a little and hugs him back. 

“Boss! Sorry, it took forever to get Freeze Force off my dick!” he shouts to Lio over Meis’ shoulder. “I had one guy trailing me like fifteen miles out of the city! I had to corner him in a canyon and destroy his tank!” 

Meis lets him go, but keeps a possessive arm wound around his waist as Lio comes up beside them. 

“You’re certain no one else followed you? Or placed any trackers?” Lio asks. 

“Nope. I left him there and squatted in a different canyon for a few hours to make sure.  _ Nada _ .” 

“Good work. Get some rest.” Lio praises, and then walks back towards the gas station. 

Gueira turns back to Meis, big grin plastered on his face. It melts a little when he sees how somber Meis is. 

“What is it?” 

Meis shakes his head. “Was just worried, that’s all.” 

“Aw come on, have a little faith in me!” Gueira laughs, rubbing Meis’ back in reassurance. “I’m only a dumbass  _ most  _ of the time.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Doesn’t make him worry any less. But, he doesn’t say that, doesn’t want Gueira to think he doesn’t have any confidence in his abilities. He just gives him a nougie and drags him inside. 

He can’t sleep that night. Gueira crashes off the adrenaline right away and is out cold within minutes of them lying down, but Meis is wide awake. They’re lying on their sides, facing each other, and he just watches Gueira sleep. He stares at his long, dark eyelashes pressed against his high cheeks, his full lips parted (because his jaw always falls open when he sleeps, always). Wild hair fanning out from his head and all across the pillow, hair that always smells like desert sunshine and home. Meis strokes some of it back from his forehead. 

He doesn’t know how he’d go on living if something were to happen to Gueira. Having a partner is such a double-edged sword out here, especially in their line of work. Harsh living creates unfathomable, all-consuming intimacy, but the risk of losing it all looms overhead, ever-present. A timid better never won big money, but… Meis is terrified of going bankrupt. 

He gently sweeps his thumb over Gueira’s cheek. There are a few pockmarks on it from old teenage acne, near his nose. Meis could point them out with his eyes closed. He could pick Gueira’s face out from a crowd with touch alone. He follows his thumb with his lips, pressing soft kisses all over that cheek and then onto his forehead. 

He’s let the world take everything else from him. He won’t let it take Gueira, too. 

**~**

He catches sight of Gueira, back from a scouting mission, slipping in through the doors which once were probably automatic, but now need a strong shove to open. He’s dripping wet; his hair, normally poofy and curly enough to stick straight out from his head, is wilting under the pressure. His leather jacket is slick with water. He looks like an angry housecat. 

“Whoa, is it raining?” Ari shouts to him. 

“I put some buckets out to catch it already, don’t worry.” Gueira grumbles. 

Everyone starts hooting and hollering. Fresh water that they don’t have to dig for, or drive fifty miles through a desert to steal, is enough to make anyone’s day. 

Meis catches Gueira’s eye and smirks. Gueira flips him off. He’s sitting with the others, minus Lio (who’s off gathering intel on a Freeze Force camp they discovered recently), playing poker. Everyone joked that he ought to be good at Texas Hold’em considering his Dallas provenance, but he’s actually kind of shit. Maybe it’s his mom’s Korean genes ruining his luck. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Gueira slinks over to their circle, tracking water all the way. He squats down beside Meis and peeks at his cards, and the flop in the center. He scoffs. 

“Trash.” 

“Come on, man! I’m trying to play a game here! Giving me away and shit.”

Gueira winks. “And no one will know if  _ this  _ is a ruse or not!” 

After the river, everyone lays down their cards. Meis stayed in because he had a two pair of Queens and sixes. It’s almost enough to win, but Raya has two pair Kings and threes. 

“Fuck.” Meis grumbles, watching her drag all the pebbles into her corner. Yeah, they’re using pebbles instead of poker chips. They’re not gonna waste valuable time, energy, or space to steal and hoard something so useless. Gueira claps a soggy hand onto Meis’ shoulder in comfort. 

“Gonna go change. Be right back.” he whispers, and then disappears into the back room. It was probably a staff room once, maybe the place where the former gas station employees kept the safe, but now it’s the communal bedroom. He and Gueira share a thin bedroll and a few blankets in there, in the furthest corner from the door (i.e., prime real estate). Being Mad Burnish generals has a few perks. 

Gueira reemerges a few moments later in just his underwear, dragging a blanket. Because that’s what “getting changed” means- no one has the space or storage for extra clothes, so you either wear what you’ve got or nothing at all. It’s always easy to tell when someone’s doing laundry, because they walk around all day wrapped in nothing but a blanket. 

He comes back over to Meis and falls to his butt with an extravagant sigh. Meis already knows what’s coming, and opens his arms and legs. Gueira loves to cuddle; he’s such a fanatic that Meis sort of believes he might need it to live. He lies on his right side like a mermaid and wraps his arms around Meis’ shoulders, tucking his face into Meis’ throat, and Meis is left to arrange his own limbs around and over Gueira’s body. He tucks the blanket around Gueira so that he’s cozy and warm, and follows it with an arm around his back. 

“Comfy?” he murmurs. 

“Mm.” Gueira already sounds half-asleep. Meis feels his breath on his neck. 

“Meis, call or fold.” Sagai, the resident dealer, brings him back to attention. 

Gueira rearranges himself a little so he can look at Meis’ cards. He’s got an ace and a four. Gueira hums in a way that Meis knows means  _ call.  _ So he does. 

Gueira sort of slides down Meis’ body as time goes on, until the right side of his face is mushed against Meis’ chest instead of tucked into his neck and his arms are wound around his waist. His eyes have closed, and he’s breathing softly. His hair has mostly dried by now, and it’s back to its natural, voluminous state. Meis has folded for this particular round, and so he occupies himself with stroking it away from Gueira’s sleeping face as the others bet. It’s about then that thunder rumbles outside, louder than the rev of a Freeze Force tank. Of course, Gueira doesn’t move a muscle. 

“Can’t believe he’s sleeping through this.” Raya comments. 

“Heaviest damn sleeper I’ve ever met.” Meis agrees. 

“That’s funny, cuz when I went out with him a few weeks ago on a supply raid- that one where we got trailed and had to camp out somewhere else for a few nights? He was always awake at, like, the slightest sound. I swear, he hardly slept at all.” Gogo pipes up. 

“It’s because Meis is here.” Raya explains, in that tone of hers that says  _ I know everything.  _ “It’s psychology. Like, how kids sleep better when they sneak into their parents’ bed.” 

“Oh, cuz he feels safe. I guess that makes sense. I definitely started sleeping better when I joined Mad Burnish and wasn’t just out in the Waste all by my fuckin’ self. And after I met  _ Minty.”  _ Gogo says her name in the gooiest, lovey-doviest way he possibly can. Beside him, Minty rolls her eyes. 

That’s why Meis doesn’t mind Gueira being openly affectionate here. A lifetime ago, back in Texas or in Miami, he would have gotten embarrassed if Gueira tried to snuggle with him in front of a room full of people. But now, they’re all totally desensitized to PDA (and everything else personal). There is no personal space when you live as a fugitive. You get used to seeing everyone else naked at some point or another, you get used to hearing burps and farts, you accept that you’ll never really get any alone time unless the circumstance is exceptional. He’s seen Gogo and Minty getting handsy, as well as Ari and Tayola, and Tulip and May. His poor gay ass has had the misfortune of witnessing a vagina or six. He’s walked in on people taking shits. It all makes a bit of public cuddling seem very benign, all things considered. And if Gueira needs to be cuddled in order to sleep well, then Meis is damn well gonna deliver. He would do fucking  _ anything  _ for Gueira. 

**~**

The Jeep is a little worn-out, but it’s still more road-worthy than half the vehicles he sees in the Waste. They’ve agreed (after some protesting on Gueira’s part) that Meis is the better driver, and so he gets in on the left while Gueira gets in on the right. As soon as they’re in the cabin, they see the stick shift, and it seals the deal. Gueira’s only ever driven automatic. 

“Put your seatbelt on.” Meis orders as he buckles his own. 

Gueira laughs out loud. “What? Seriously?” 

“I haven’t driven a manual in years! And the terrain is, ya know. Rocky.” he gestures out at the flat expanse of desert. Maybe his concern for Gueira’s safety is a little excessive. 

“Pff.” Gueira scoffs, but he obeys. The buckle clicks. “Whatever you say,  _ mom. _ ” 

Meis doesn’t have the easiest time ever getting the Jeep into first gear. He remembers manuals being touchy, but not  _ this  _ fucking touchy. The first two tries send them both flying towards the dashboard while the engine stalls with a grumble. The third time is the charm and the ignition finally takes, thank fuck. The Jeep trundles forward, and then Meis gracelessly moves to second, third, and fourth gear with significant jerking. 

“Whoof. Maybe seatbelts  _ were  _ a good idea.” Gueira says under his breath. He’s got a hand clenched around the oh-fuck handle above the door.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, don’t worry.” 

They’re trying something new this time. Mad Burnish usually blaze into Promepolis in pomp and flames, announcing loudly to everyone exactly who they are and what they’re there for. It’s great for publicity and for burns, but it’s a little less appropriate for supply runs. One too many members getting tailed and harassed by the feds, plus the hassle of trying not to burn the groceries when they’re being transported on burnish bikes, has led to Lio brainstorming other ways of doing things. So, he’s sending Meis and Gueira out in a nondescript Jeep instead of on their flame bikes to try and just pose as normal citizens in a normal grocery store. They’re still gonna steal because no one has any fucking money, but they’re gonna try and do it without anyone noticing it this time. Meis has even tied his hair back in a bun to try and look presentable. Gueira had Minty pluck his eyebrows. 

It’s kind of nice- feels like they’re just any old pair of homos going on a desert road trip. Like they’re a couple of LA twinks going to Joshua Tree or something. They have snacks and a half-empty water bottle in the cupholders between them, Meis is playing Stevie Ray Vaughn on the stereo, and Gueira is looking out the open window and letting the breeze ruffle his hair. The sky is cornflower blue, and everything is so idyllic that life seems almost alright for once. Meis reaches over and takes Gueira’s calloused left hand in his right and squeezes it. He keeps his eyes on the dirt road in front of them, but he feels the sun of Gueira’s smile on his face. 

It takes about six hours to get into the city. The Jeep is just so much slower than their bikes. Meis doesn’t really mind, but he can tell by the end of it, Gueira is getting antsy. They find a shitty, nondescript grocery store they’ve never hit before on the outskirts of Lower Promepolis and head in. The Jeep looks… suspiciously dusty in the parking lot, compared to the other cars. He hopes no one thinks twice about it. 

Grocery shopping like normal people is shockingly emotional. It’s been years now since he last did this, and he didn’t realize how much he missed, just, mundane normality. He pushes a cart while Gueira walks alongside him, babbling about this and that and throwing into it everything on the list Tayola, their resident cook, gave them. They get fresh produce for once, because now they don’t have to worry so much about torching it to ashes by accident on the bikes and in their armor. Meis knows he must be getting old and jaded, because he gets ridiculously excited at the prospect of eating fresh lettuce. In the drinks aisle, he helps Gueira heft the biggest pack of bottled water available into the bottom of the cart. He then watches Gueira have a dilemma in the cosmetics aisle. 

“You  _ know  _ Minty and Raya and Sagai would be so happy.” he whispers, so that no one overhears. “They’re always complaining about how they don’t get to look pretty or dress up anymore.”

Meis raises an eyebrow. “You don’t think the Boss will say it’s unnecessary?” 

“Oh, he definitely will. But, I dunno, it would boost morale, ya know? And we should look hot when we all inevitably get arrested.” He taps the mascara bottle against his lips in thought. 

“Well now that you’ve got your spit on it, we have to take it.”

“Good point. You know, I better take, like, six. It’s not hygienic to share makeup.” Gueira grabs all of the mascaras on the rack. “Not that anything about the base is even remotely hygienic, but…” 

He ends up taking eyeliner and eyebrow pencils, too. 

Once they’re done, Meis waits near the doors while Gueira purposely knocks over a display on the opposite side of the store. The lone cashier is forced to go and investigate, and they both slip out without anyone noticing. They unload the groceries into the backseat like an old married couple, kick the cart away towards the curb, and take off. In twenty minutes, they’re out of Promepolis and back on the dirt road into the Waste. Gueira rolls down all the windows and cheers. 

“God, we’re good!” He twists around to rummage in the bags behind them, and returns with an apple. He takes a big bite of it, and hands it to Meis. Meis grins, and accepts. It’s crisp, and fresh, and juicy. It’s so good. 

After about two hours of driving, the sun goes down and leaves them in darkness, punctuated only by the pinprick light of the stars. The night air is cool and smells like tranquility. 

“Hey Meis.” Gueira says, in that tone that Meis knows means shenanigans. 

“Hey Gueira.” he answers. 

“Stop the car.”

Meis finds himself obeying without protest. They stop right there, on the dirt track. He’s about to ask what’s up, but before he can, Gueira has already unbuckled his seatbelt and is leaning over the stick shift to grab his face and kiss him. Meis makes an  _ mmph  _ sound, and then helps Gueira climb over into his lap. They make out sloppily, and Meis undoes Gueira’s snug belt so that he can shove his hands down the back of his pants and squeeze his ass. It makes Gueira moan, and when he leans back to undo his fly, his butt (and the tops of Meis’ hands) press into the steering wheel and set off the horn, which thunders across the sand for probably ten miles in every direction. 

“Fuck.” Gueira laughs breathlessly. 

They eventually manage to get Gueira’s pants off and Meis’ down to mid-thigh. They discovered ages ago that their flames actually make for decent, if unconventional, lube, and so Gueira sits right down on his dick with a shuddering groan. He’s super tight, as the last time they had a chance to do this was one night months ago when everyone else was off being busy with other shit and they had the common room to themselves. Meis reclines his seat so he can lean back with enough leverage to grab Gueira’s hips and fuck him good and hard. Gueira holds onto the headrest and takes it like a champ, muffling his moans against Meis’ shoulder. 

They lie there slumped against each other when they’re done, letting the night breeze drift in through the open windows to cool the sweat on their skin. But, eventually they have to separate and get going. Not only because Lio will worry, but also because staying in one spot for an extended period of time on the main thoroughfare through the Southern Waste is basically like walking around with a sign that says ‘rob me & knife me, please’. 

Gueira, back in his own seat, tugs his pants back on as they take off down the road. 

“Babe?” he asks while he does up his belt. 

Meis hums. 

“I love you.” 

“Love you too, bug.” 

**~**

It’s a stupid thing to be doing, but Meis is silently fingering Gueira under the blanket while they spoon. Sure, there’s a few meters between them and the others, but it’s a silent, cavernous room and sound echoes. He’s rock hard and crazy turned-on, but he’s trying his best to pant quietly against the back of Gueira’s neck. He’s mostly succeeding. Gueira is having a harder time. 

“ _ Mmph.”  _ he sighs when Meis twists his fingers. 

“ _ Shh.”  _

Gueira lifts his leg a bit to give Meis more room. His fists are clenched in the blanket and pillow, and from the way he’s squeezing around him, Meis can tell he’s desperate for it. After a minute or two longer, he’s tilting his head back so he can whisper into Meis’ ear. 

“ _ Want you inside me so bad.”  _

_ “Yeah?”  _ It’s ill-advised and unprofessional, but he’s down if Gueira is. 

Gueira responds by turning over to face him and wiggling upwards so Meis’ head is level with his chest. He draws his knees up to his chest like he’s about to cannonball into a pool, which effectively gives Meis perfect access. Meis angles his hips up and pushes inside. Gueira squeezes his eyes shut, bites his lip, and turns his face into the pillow as he endures the stretch. His hands fly to Meis’ collarbones, digging his fingers into them like handlebars. He’s digging in quite hard, so Meis slows down a bit to let him adjust. He’s so fucking tight. 

Meis keeps his thrusts shallow, doesn’t let their hips collide so that it stays silent. It’s fine by him- just Gueira squeezing around the head of his cock is enough to make him want to come. Gueira is panting as quietly as he can- which is not very. The inside of one of his calves is pressed against Meis’ side now, and it brings his knee close enough that Meis can lean over and kiss it, and then bite it. Gueira jerks at that, biting his lips before a moan can slip out. 

What he’s learned is that sex is one million times better when you do it with someone you’re in love with. Gueira isn’t Meis’ first, but he’ll definitely be his last, because he has officially been ruined for anyone else forever. It turns him on, the fact that Gueira- strong, wild, fiery Gueira- lets him do this. And it’s also the trust- sex feels like just another way to cement their devotion to each other, and also like an inside joke. It’s not like the twisted passion of forbidden fruit- it’s like the comfort of drinking coffee together on a quiet Sunday morning. 

“ _ Oh, Meis….”  _ Gueira breathes, digging his fingers hard into Meis’ chest again. Meis can tell he’s about to come just from the tone of his voice. Crazy fucking hot how just Meis’ cock is enough to make him come untouched sometimes. 

Gueira kisses him sloppily when he comes in order to stop himself from crying out. The contractions, the way he clenches around him, are enough to do Meis in right after. They cling to each other, breathing hard, hoping they were quiet enough that no one woke up and heard, but knowing they probably weren’t. Lio is probably on the other side of the room covering his ears, wondering why he got saddled with the horniest, most obnoxious generals of all time. 

“I love you.” Meis whispers after kissing Gueira again. “So much.” 

He sees the white flash of Gueira’s teeth as he grins. “Aww, babe. You pansy-ass bitch.”

Meis jabs him in the side in retaliation. 

**~**

The Oasis is basically the Waste’s supermall. Its only mall, in fact. And it’s not really a mall at all- it’s more or less a bazaar where burnish traders gather regularly to hawk all manner of crap in exchange for just about anything. It’s a trade system which prizes materials like scrap metal, electronics, spare parts, and other things that can be turned into useful stuff. It’s where Meis was going to take Gueira to buy his own bike, way back when they were both pretending they wanted to part ways eventually. It’s basically on the edge of oblivion- there’s nothing further out or more remote from Promepolis. No burnish live beyond the Oasis. The last time Meis and Gueira were here was before they founded Mad Burnish because now, they have designated comrades who handle trading trips. Usually it’s Nazar and Odo. 

They’re here now to retrieve information for Lio from an old friend of his. This dude, somehow, supposedly, has the inside scoop on Foresight’s upcoming burnish experimentation plans. No one knows where he gets his info. Meis thinks it’s sketchy, but they might as well follow the thread regardless. So here they are in bumfuck nowhere, surrounded by the sleaziest burnish in the Waste, trying to find one person based on a vague description Lio gave them and having very little luck. There’s just too many people- burnish thronging in every row of stalls, shouting and laughing and haggling. They’re not even certain this dude is going to be here today. 

It’s as they’re hovering near a trader selling radios that someone approaches them. Well, approaches  _ Gueira.  _

“Hey baby, help you find something?” some tall, burly man says, sidling up to him and throwing an arm around his shoulders. Meis stiffens up and is about to blast the guy backwards when Gueira smoothly deflects. 

“Uh.” Gueira pushes his arm off. “Looking for someone, so if you can’t help with that, fuck off.” 

“I’m someone.” the guy smirks. 

Gueira rolls his eyes and motions for them to leave. Meis sees what he’s doing now, and falls into step right away. They get about five feet away from the interloper when he rushes in front of them and holds up his hands. Easy. 

“Whoa, whoa. No need to get snippy. I can help you find ‘em, princess. For the right price.” 

“Help us, then we’ll help you.” Gueira replies in a no-fuckery tone. He crosses his arms. 

“Yeah? What’ll you give me?” 

“Take us to the guy we’re looking for and I’ll tell you.” 

Gueira and the man have a mild standoff, and then the guy relents. 

“Alright, fine. He got a name?” 

“Ta Namora.” 

“Oh,  _ Ta!  _ You should’ve said, baby! Right this way!” 

Meis does not like the way he keeps calling Gueira  _ baby.  _ Makes him want to tear the dude’s arms off. He can’t help it; he’s a southern boy, and it’s ingrained in his very soul to protect what’s his. But, he should probably at least wait to do it until the stranger has taken them where they need to get to. The guy leads them to a booth-shanty on the edge of the Oasis, which Meis remembers as the office of the unofficial market guards. They’re just a band of dudes who got sick of people robbing each other and ripping each other off in the market and decided to set up a police force to keep things fair. He’s met a few, and they seem like decent people. 

Their stranger raps on the door three times and opens it. Inside, there are a few men strapped with freeze guns sitting around drinking and talking. They all turn to inspect their visitors. 

“Ta, two people to see you.” 

A grizzled, middle-aged man stands up. He’s got long white hair in a single braid over his shoulder and a belt full of freeze guns. Meis doesn’t know how he feels about burnish wielding freeze weapons on each other, but regardless, this is obviously a man to be feared. 

“Yeah? What do you want?” 

“Lio sent us.” Gueira answers, without cowing one bit in the face of perhaps the most alpha male in the Waste. 

“Ahh, Lio!” Ta relaxes instantly, and waves them both to the right. “Let’s talk in private.” 

They go into an office the size of a broom closet and Ta tells them that he has been given to understand, from reliable sources, that Foresight is planning to begin experiments on burnish which revolve around removing their brains and dissecting them. He’s trying to determine why one individual might present as burnish while another does not. He’s also apparently planning sexual experimentation- forcing burnish prisoners to procreate in order to determine if two burnish parents will automatically produce a burnish child. Meis is absolutely sickened. Gueira’s stricken face tells him that he feels the same. 

“Fucked up, I know. I’m hoping you folks can put a stop to it.” Ta finishes. 

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll find a way.” Meis says firmly. “Anything else for the Boss?” 

“Nah, just let him know that I’m behind him if he needs anything. And tell him to come up for a visit sometime, the little punk.” 

“Got it.” 

As they’re leaving, Ta laughs and shakes his head. 

“You’re welcome to stay for a drink, you know. We haven’t had the pleasure of a pretty face in far too long. I’m sure morale would be through the roof.” He says it to Gueira. He looks like  _ his  _ morale would be boosted through the roof by Gueira’s company. 

Gueira laughs, but Meis hears the nerves underneath it. Meis doesn’t give a fuck if he’s bigger and strapped, he’ll obliterate this guy in a heartbeat if he puts any more pressure on him. 

“Nah, thank you, though. Lio’s gonna have our heads if we’re not back on time.” he replies. 

Ta thankfully lets them go with just a good-natured shrug. 

Unfortunately, the stranger who hit on Gueira earlier is standing right outside the shanty when they leave, waiting to accost them.

“Time to pay up, baby.” he says, sauntering up to intercept them. “I brought you where you wanted to go.” 

He moves forward to possibly sling his arm around Gueira’s shoulders again, but Meis halts him with a thick flaming rope around his arms and torso, and another around his legs. The guy starts sputtering and shouting and squirming, starts trying to summon his own flames, but he’s nowhere near as strong as Meis. Meis isn’t a Mad Burnish general for fucking nothing. 

“Stop calling him  _ baby. _ ” Meis says quietly. He’s had fucking enough. “Your payment is my mercy. I’m not gonna kill you, even though I should.” 

He then lets the man go, drops him onto his ass on the dusty ground. And then, to make a point, he transforms into his full armor, plus Dallas. Dude didn’t know who he was pissing off before, but now he does. The guy’s eyes nearly pop out of his skull. 

“ _ Aw, fuck.”  _ he hears him mutter under his breath.

Poor bastard doesn’t know that Mad Burnish aren’t in the business of mob-type revenge politics like most Waste gangs, they’ve got bigger things to deal with, but Meis is happy to let him believe. And worry. 

Beside him, Gueira rolls his eyes at the whole exchange with an exasperated smile and transforms into his own armor because Meis has already blown their cover beyond repair. The dude has probably already deduced that he must be Gueira, just because of Meis’ jealous, possessive outburst. He mounts Dallas behind Meis instead of making Miami because he obviously knows Meis is in a… mood. His arms around his waist give Meis a reassuring sense of security and possession. Meis salutes the bastard, who’s still sitting on the ground, and takes off towards the base. 

When Lio asks them how it went, Gueira starts laughing. 

“Some rando tried hitting on me and Meis lost his mind!” 

“I did not  _ lose my mind.  _ I put him in his place, that’s all.”

Lio groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. “What did you do to him?” 

“The dude kept calling me baby and tried putting his hands on me, so Meis fuckin’ chained him up and made threats on his life!” Gueira answers. He’s loving this. 

“Well, I hope you didn’t let him know you’re associated with Mad Burnish.” Lio says tentatively, like a question. 

“Oh, he did. Put on his full armor and everything to scare the dude.” 

Lio buries his face in his hands. “You’re giving us a terrible reputation.” 

“What was I supposed to do? Just let him harass Gueira?” Meis asks, although he knows deep down that he was definitely wrong to do what he did. “And it wasn’t just that guy.” 

“Oh yeah, Ta hit on me too. Did you know he was into twinks? I wouldn’t have guessed. He looks like such a heterosexual, Willie Nelson-ass dude.” Gueira adds. 

“I’ve never asked him about his sexual preferences.” Lio answers dryly. Then he throws his hands up. “Alright, well, no one got hurt and we got the info we wanted. That’s good enough for me, I guess. Go get some rest.” 

Meis apologizes for his own headassery as they’re getting ready for bed that evening. Gueira just blinks at him and stops putting his socks on. 

“What?”

“I said, sorry. You know. For getting all jealous and possessive.” 

Gueira frowns. “There’s no need to be sorry. I’m not upset.” 

“Really?” 

“Course not! Are you kidding me? Why would I be upset?” He flicks Meis’ forehead. “I’m flattered. I liked it.” 

“Oh, okay.” 

Gueira smiles at him like he’s the most charming idiot in the world and pinches his cheek. Meis grabs his wrist and tugs him close so that he can kiss him. Gueira giggles against his lips.

“It was probably a good lesson for that guy, anyways. He should know better than to go around hitting on random strangers like some back alley freak.” 

Meis hums in agreement, and they settle down under the blankets to go to sleep. 

In certain ways, they’re still learning each other, even after all this time. Meis has never really had cause to be jealous and territorial before because it used to just be the two of them, nobody else. Once, before he ran, he had a girlfriend (before realizing that was  _ not  _ his thing) who got really angry when he squared up with a guy who hit on her in a bar- she didn’t like feeling like an object to be possessed. Which Meis gets. He totally does. So Gueira’s reaction surprises him- he’s even more fiery and independent than she was, and so he would have expected a similar kind of righteous indignation. But no, he liked it. 

Gueira’s hand on his cheek surprises him, and he turns his head. 

“Shh.” Gueira whispers. 

“I didn’t make any noise!” 

“I can hear you thinking.” 

Meis chuckles. “Am I not allowed to think?” 

“Not when I’m trying to sleep.” 

Meis huffs and throws an arm around him and pulls him close, so that his face is tucked against Meis’ chest. Gueira makes a pleased hum and curls his fingers in Meis’ shirt. A moment later, he throws a leg over Meis’ hip too for good measure. It makes Meis smile to himself. Maybe Gueira has some possessive tendencies too. 

**~**

They’ve stumbled upon a fucking  _ gold mine  _ at this new place they’ve relocated to. Meis finds out just as he’s getting back from scoping out their next burn target in Promepolis. He’s only just dismounted and vanished his motorcycle when he sees Gueira flying out the front doors and down the steps of the half-destroyed hotel. He’s so excited that red flames are licking at the tips of his hair. 

“Babe! Guess what!” He skids to a stop in front of Meis and fists his hands in Meis’ shirt. 

“Tell me.” 

“There’s running water here!” 

Meis’ eyebrows fly up. Running water is unheard of in the Waste. It means that whatever water company was once providing to the hotel before the Great Blaze just never got around to shutting off the tap. 

“Boss says we can’t get comfy, cuz the water company will eventually notice that we’re using it and send the po-po, but we’re gonna stay as long as possible. When they turn the tap off, we get the hell out of town _. _ ” 

“Damn.” 

They can take  _ real  _ showers instead of bucket showers. They can wash their blankets. They can be adequately hydrated for once. It’s in the vein of showers that Gueira continues. 

“Every room has an en-suite! We can just shower whenever and not have to worry about it! We should do it right now! I mean for real, look at how greasy my hair is.” He tugs at Meis’ shirt, as if he’s gonna need any encouragement. 

The water is cold, because the water heater is probably destroyed or either so old that it’s given up, but neither of them care. They wash each other’s hair with a decrepit little bottle of shampoo they find in the bathroom, and pray that soap doesn’t have an expiration date. They’ve both got so much hair that they use up the whole thing. Gueira also finds a bottle of conditioner under the sink, and delightedly makes Meis slather his fiery curls with it. 

“ _ God  _ I haven’t used conditioner in so long. You’re finally gonna find out what my hair looks like when it’s well-moisturized… Not gonna be able to keep your hands off me, babe.” 

“You say that like I ever could before.” 

“True.”

They dally for way too long under the spray, just relishing in the feeling of water freely cascading down their backs unabated. When they finally get out, they’re pruny. They don’t have any towels, but who gives a fuck, they’ll just air-dry. They have a room all to themselves. Meis finger-combs Gueira’s hair while they sit on the bed. 

A little later, they fill up the bathtub and wash  _ everything.  _ They kneel on the bathroom floor, butt-ass naked, elbow deep in water, scrubbing like a couple of medieval housewives. Gueira splashes him every few minutes with a playful smile. Meis is  _ so  _ in love. 

Gueira was right; his hair is gorgeous when it finally dries. It’s not quite so poofy, and the ringlets of his curls are more shiny and defined. Meis likes the poof, but this is really nice too. But it’s not necessarily the hair that gets him handsy at this point, it’s the fact that they have a room all to themselves for the whole night, and also the near future. Once they’ve hung everything up to dry, he tackles Gueira onto the bed and kisses him heatedly. It’s only around 4 in the afternoon, but who cares? Time is relative. 

Gueira moans as loud as he wants when Meis slides inside him. There’s no hiding under blankets, no closed thighs, no subtle forking this time around- he holds his legs open wide and throws his head back against the pillow, jaw hanging open. Meis pounds into him hard, because he can. He makes Gueira scream. He lets the slap of skin-on-skin echo unmuffled. He growls all sorts of filthy shit into his ear. They do every position that’s impossible in a room full of people: Gueira rides him, forward and reverse; he puts Gueira’s legs on his shoulders; he fucks him against a wall and the headboard; face-down ass-up. Gueira’s cries put pornstars to shame. By the time it’s all over and Gueira is dead asleep from exhaustion, Meis has made him come three times. 

While Gueira naps, Meis wraps a throw blanket around his hips and slips down the hall to the designated communal room. Not even Lio is there; everyone’s too busy enjoying their showers and beds and privacy. He takes two canned soups out of the food bin and returns to his room. He uses his flames to heat the soups in their cans, and then shakes Gueira awake. 

“Mmph.” 

“Wake up, bitch, it’s soup time.” 

“I hate soup.” Gueira pouts, and turns his face back into the pillow. 

“It’s got vegetables.” 

“Even worse.” 

But Gueira obediently hauls himself into a vaguely-upright position and takes the can Meis hands him. Nutrients are nutrients, no matter what they taste like, and he hasn’t been wasteful a single day since Meis has known him. He just likes to complain. 

“Oh I see, you gave me the shittier one.” he mumbles around a mouthful of noodles, celery, and carrots. He taps the butt of his spoon against the can in Meis’ hand. Meis has tomato soup, Gueira has chicken noodle. 

“Are you kidding me? Yours has way more nutritional value. Protein and shit. Mine’s just warm ketchup.” Meis replies, affronted. 

“How ‘bout we both eat half, and then swap.” 

“You need to bulk up, though.”

“What?” Gueira exclaims. “You’re skinnier than me!”

“Yeah, but I’m taller. Aren’t tall people generally, like, more likely to be thin?” 

Gueira frowns. “What, cuz the fat stretches out? I dunno.” 

“We sound like a couple of morons.” 

They just go with Gueira’s suggestion and swap cans halfway through. Meis really does want Gueira to just have the whole thing of chicken noodle, because he has this insatiable, burning need inside him to take care of Gueira at all times and make sure he’s well fed, but he knows Gueira will throw a fit. Because he feels the same way about Meis.

**~**

“OW!” 

“Hold still.” 

Meis pulls the edge of Gueira’s underwear up even higher and readjusts to get a better angle. He’s only pulled three slivers so far, and there are at least thirty more scattered over his upper thigh and flank. Gueira is not the most docile patient ever. 

“ _ Ow,  _ are you even pulling anything or are you just poking around down there?” 

“Shut up.” 

The glass shards are thankfully quite long and not very deep, and so it’s relatively easy for Meis to grab them and pull them out. He carefully makes his way up Gueira’s thigh, dropping each shard into a pile beside them. Gueira squirms the whole time, fists clenched and toes curled. When Meis is finished with that section, he swipes over the marred skin with the edge of a shirt soaked in rubbing alcohol. Gueira whines in pain. 

“Sorry, bug.” Meis murmurs. He squeezes his other thigh in apology. “Lie down on your side and let me get these other ones.” 

Gueira obeys, but with a sour face. There are more slivers arcing over the soft skin of his ribcage, and they look nasty. Meis gets to work on them. 

“Ow. Ow. Can’t believe this is even happening.” Gueira grumbles. “I was  _ this  _ close to toasting that guy like a piece of bread.”

“When I saw him hit you, I fuckin’ lost my shit.” Meis replies. 

“Just my luck he’d launch me directly into the wreckage of a tank and all the shattered glass from the windshield. Of all places.” 

“You almost gave me a heart attack when you didn’t get right back up.” 

Gueira giggles. “Yeah, I saw.” 

“Stop wiggling.” 

After about twenty more minutes, Meis has finally gotten all the slivers out. Gueira hides his face in his arms when he cleans the rest of the cuts with the alcohol. 

“Alright, finally done.” 

“Mm.” he whimpers, and still doesn’t lift his head from where it’s pillowed face-down on his arms. 

“Aww, babe.” Meis rubs his back. “You’re okay now.” 

Of course he is. Gueira actually has quite a high pain tolerance, is tough as nails when he needs to be, but- he likes it when Meis coddles him (even though he won’t admit it). He likes to feel like a motherfucking princess. It’s fine though, because Meis likes delivering. 

**~**

Meis has just finished his half of the job- burn down another gun shop, this time in the red light district. He’s crossing the city to where Gueira is supposed to be, on the very fringes where South Promepolis meets the sands of the Waste. He was supposed to clear out and burn down a Foresight pharmacy there, but Meis can already see him way up on a highway overpass, facing off with four Freeze Force tanks. God  _ damn  _ it. 

Meis is only a few hundred meters off when he sees Gueira go flying into the air after a tank rams into him. The strike is hard enough that he loses focus and his armor starts crumbling around him. When he hits the asphalt, whatever’s left cushions his fall and then promptly shatters into nothing. He rolls a few times, and stills. The officer shoots him three times to apply the collar, cuffs, and ankle braces. The gun is on full power, he can tell even from a distance. He knows it must hurt like absolute hell. Meis sees red. He revs Dallas’ engine and forces her to go even faster. He needs to get there before it’s too late. 

He leaps off the bike as soon as he’s under the overpass and transforms into his armor, fuck discretion. He climbs the support beam, and as he gets closer to where Freeze Force have Gueira surrounded, he starts to pick up their conversation. 

“... always think you’re so tough, don’t ya?” someone sneers, and there’s the sound of a kick. He hears Gueira whimper. 

“What do you think? Take him in, or kill him?” someone else asks. 

“Boss will want him. He’s powerful.”

“He’s an obnoxious little shit. Torched my tank and half my gear. I say kill him.”

“Hmph. Can’t decide.” 

Meis heaves himself over the barrier and lands on his feet directly opposite their little semicircle. 

“Then let me decide for you.” 

He channels his fury into a massive wall of flames between all of them and Gueira, who’s lying at about the halfway point. They immediately start pumping ice into the makeshift shield, but Meis is angry enough that it doesn’t yield. He holds the wall steady while he destroys Gueira’s cuffs. Once the collar is off and Gueira can move and speak, he’s instantly on his feet throwing his arms around Meis. 

“You okay? Can you put armor on?” Meis asks, rubbing his back with his free hand while the other supplies the flames. He can wrap the whole thing around Gueira’s waist when he’s armored and Gueira isn’t. 

Gueira concentrates, and then winces. “Ow. No, I don’t think so. My head really hurts. Think I smashed it on the ground when I fell.” 

Worrying. Meis gives him a short nod, and retracts the wall of flames backwards and in, so that it forms an impenetrable circle around them both. He backs them up to the barrier overlooking the Waste. He can’t quite see through the thick flames, but he hears engines revving. They’re gonna try to ram into him too. Good luck with that. 

With a firm arm around Gueira’s waist, he tips them both backwards over the barrier and lets them plummet down towards the ground. At the last second, he creates a flaming grappling hook and shoots it around an overhead beam, and uses it to swing them down onto their feet. Gueira stumbles a little bit when they land, and Meis suspects he might have a concussion. He definitely won’t be driving. 

Gueira sits behind him on Dallas with his arms around his waist as they race through the desert with Freeze Force hot on their tails. He’s obviously not returning to base just yet, even though he really wants Sagai to check Gueira’s head- he has to shake them first. The tanks are fucking fast, despite their size. They manage to get within a hundred feet of the rear wheel after about ten miles, which is way too close for comfort with an unarmed Gueira on the back. It’s worse when they start shooting and ice starts pounding into the sand around them. 

“Babe! I’m gonna try and make some armor on you, okay?” Meis shouts over his shoulder. 

“Sounds gucci!” Gueira shouts back. 

The concentration costs him a little of his own armor (he gives up the breastplate and accents), but he’s able to cover Gueira’s back. Gueira, who already seems to be feeling better, shoots fireballs back at their assailants whenever he can get a good angle. He manages to take out the wheels of three of the four tanks this way, which sends them spiraling out of control and effectively totals them. Whoever’s driving the last one, though, is much more skilled than his dumbass coworkers. He dodges everything Gueira throws at him and manages to stay tight on their tail throughout. Meis grits his teeth. He can’t keep this up forever. He’s already feeling tired from sustaining Dallas at max speed, plus two sets of armor. 

“Circle back!” Gueira shouts. 

“What? Are you crazy?” 

“Trust me! Get him to stop and circle him!” 

Meis obeys. He turns hard and doubles back, which brings the tank up short, almost to a full stop. He begins looping around and around, which brings it to a complete stop and gets the officer to open the hatch and stick his head and guns out. Ah. Meis can already feel Gueira rearranging himself so that he’s standing up on the seat. He loops two rings of fire around his calves to keep them stable and braced against his back. 

Meis evades the ice while Gueira takes aim. It only takes a blast or two and he’s blown the officer’s gun to bits. Once he’s unarmed, Gueira can blow up the tank tires and strand him there. Once that’s done and they’re safe, Meis whips back around and speeds off into the distance until they’re well out of sight and range. It’s only then that they finally slow to a stop. 

Gueira slumps back down onto his butt, breathing hard. Meis lets their armor crumble away and breathes a sigh of relief himself. He feels Gueira rest his cheek against the plane of his back. 

“Fuck.” he mutters eloquently. “So much harder when you’re trying  _ not  _ to kill ‘em.” 

“Yup. You okay, bug?” 

“Mhm. Thank you. For coming to get me.” 

Meis half-turns so that he can press a kiss to the top of Gueira’s head. “Anytime.” 

They finally get back to base around one in the morning. Meis is exhausted- he’s been sustaining that damn motorcycle for almost ten hours now. Gueira is also sleepy, but that’s because he napped against Meis’ back for most of the ride home. Sagai doesn’t complain at being woken up, professional that she is. She sits Gueira down on her bed in her room and examines him right away, listens to him describe what he’s feeling and what happened. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a mild concussion. But it sounds like you’re already mostly recovered. Just sleep it off, and you’ll probably feel better in the morning. Come see me if not.” 

They thank her and retreat to their room. Meis sleeps that night with an arm around Gueira’s waist and an iron grip on his hand. He fucking hates close calls. Makes him feel crazy- like he’s two seconds away from riding back into Promepolis and slaughtering every single Freeze Force officer who even knows Gueira’s name. He wants to. He squeezes Gueira tighter instead. 

~

Their door slamming open, followed by Lio’s scream, wakes Meis up out of a dead sleep. A moment later, he hears the sirens. 

“ _ Get up! It’s Freeze Force!”  _

Meis curses and shakes Gueira awake. Gueira just makes a sort of irritated grunt, so he drags him out of the bed. Gueira grumbles louder before he realizes what’s happening, and then he’s stumbling over his own feet to pack up their shit. 

“Fuck the stuff, we gotta go!” Meis shouts as he yanks his jeans on. 

“Just the backpack!” 

It’s already mostly packed thankfully. It’s where they keep stuff like soap and toothbrushes and trinkets like the little Polaroid a random burnish girl took of them together on Meis’ dirt bike way back when they first met. Gueira throws it over one shoulder, grabs his leather jacket, and they’re out of there. 

Everyone else is already in the hall. They follow Lio out the service door at the back end of the floor and down the fire escape. Meis only glances away from the stairs for a moment, and sees six tanks rocketing towards them freakishly fast, sirens wailing.  _ Fuck.  _ They never even shut off the water; no one had any idea their time in the hotel was up. Now they’re scrambling and they’re gonna have to start all over again somewhere else- rebuilding their stocks of food and medical supplies, everything. 

By the time their boots hit the sand, Freeze Force is basically right on top of them. Meis sees the change in Lio’s expression when he realizes that it’s too late to run. 

“Fuck. Okay.” He raises his voice so everyone can hear. “Alright! Me, Meis, and Gueira are gonna hold them off! The rest of you get the hell out of here! We’ll rendezvous at that cave in the salt flats, the one with the little pool at the back! Got it?” 

Everyone nods and makes their bikes. They take off in formation in the opposite direction. 

“Alright. Meis. Gueira. Let’s do this.” Lio’s got that glint in his eye. 

“Yes Boss!” they shout in unison. 

In full armor, they race towards the tanks head-on. It’s an aggressive play, and succeeds in breaking up their formation and getting them separated. Meis chases one tank, Gueira another, and Lio handles the other four. It’s going well- Meis manages to destroy his tank by leaping off of Dallas, sliding under the wheels, and blasting it to bits from the underside. He catches sight of Gueira blowing his tank up so that it rolls on its side at about the same time. They double back to help Lio, and that’s about when they realize that there are only three tanks in his range. Meis scans the horizon and sees the fourth- it’s already past the hotel and hot on the tails of the rest of the Mad Burnish. Somehow, it’s gotten past Lio. 

“ _ Fuck!”  _

He revs the engine and chases after it, and hears Gueira follow right behind him. They rocket across the sand at max speed, but Freeze Force are engineering masters- their tanks move at practically light speed. Meis manages to get within a hundred meters of the tank by really pushing it, but he can already see the rest of the Mad Burnish bikes just ahead. Fuck, they’re too late. 

Sure enough, a moment later, the tank starts firing on them with the heavy cannons. The other Mad Burnish start driving evasively, breaking formation and weaving in between each other. It’s good enough, until the cannon manages to catch Sagai. Meis sees the ice crash into her, encasing her and smashing her bike into nothing. It’s the most brutal hit he’s ever seen a burnish take- the cannons are set on max power, which is probably an effective setting to use on someone insanely powerful like Lio, but  _ way  _ too much for the average burnish. Meis feels a sick dread settle into his stomach. 

The tank slows a bit now that it’s gotten someone. It’s enough of a window that Meis speeds forward and blasts the hell out of it, sending it flying into the air and crashing onto the ground. He whips around to the hatch just as the officer is opening it and he fills the entire interior with burning blue flames. Lio will be angry with him for killing the guy, but Meis dares him to get preachy about it this time. The officer is dust instantly. 

When he circles back to rejoin Gueira and the rest of the group, who have doubled back, Gueira is already gently melting the ice around Sagai. Meis stops and vanishes all his armor and Dallas. He kneels beside him and adds his own flames to help. One by one, the others kneel down too and add their flames. 

It’s when the ice is all melted that someone notices. He hears Raya gasp in horror. 

He follows her eyes- Sagai’s hand is gray and her fingers are beginning to disintegrate into dust. 

He swears and clambers over Sagai’s body so that he can place his hands on her chest. He channels the flames, feeds them into her heart. Everyone else is also swearing and shouting now, and Raya and Minty are already crying and clutching onto Sagai’s rapidly vanishing arms. Gueira suddenly muscles in next to Meis and places his hands over his, adding his own power to Meis’. Their combined flames are enough to light a faint purple flicker in Sagai’s chest, which makes Meis’ heart jump in hope. But, as soon as it appeared, it fades. 

“Fuck.” Meis hisses. He tries to cling onto the little purple flicker, coax it into staying, but it’s too late. Her chest goes gray. 

Both Meis and Gueira retract their hands at the same time. Gueira falls back onto his ass, breathing hard. Meis watches Sagai fade away beneath him. Raya and Minty’s anguished sobs are background noise against the numb ringing in his ears. 

That’s how Lio finds them when he arrives. Everyone hunched over, weeping, or just staring in horror at the pile of ash in the center of their circle. Meis can’t tear his eyes away. Gueira is crying next to him with his face hidden in his arms. Lio falls to his knees on Meis’ other side. Meis doesn’t look at his face. 

They end up going to the cave after holding a somber memorial for Sagai. No one speaks and no one eats. No one has any bedrolls or blankets anymore either, so no one really sleeps. Meis and Gueira sit side-by-side with their backs against the wall at the back of the cave, near the pool, all night long. Gueira hasn’t stopped crying; there are permanent tear tracks running down his cheeks. Meis wants to cry too, but he’s never been able to in front of other people. He just sits there and listens to Gueira sniffle. 

It should probably make him question the life they’ve chosen, the life they’re responsible for roping Sagai into. It doesn’t. It just makes him hate Freeze Force and Kray Foresight even more. 

When he glances down, his hands are on fire. 

~

“Have you ever thought about leaving?” Gueira asks. 

It’s just the two of them, lying side-by-side, staring up at the black, starry sky. They’re spending a night away from the rest of Mad Burnish. Meis can’t really put it into words, but he just felt they needed it. Gueira agreed, and Lio gave them the go-ahead. He understands; everyone’s had a hard time getting their heads back on straight since Sagai’s death. There haven’t been any burnings or intel missions. They’ve barely managed to pull themselves together enough to go get food. There’s an ever-present sense of doubt that’s settled over them all, doubt if any of this can really even work.

“Sometimes.” Meis answers honestly. “Not now, though.” 

“Really? What makes you want to run, then?” 

“Whenever you have close calls. Especially when there’s nothing I can do to protect you.” Meis reaches out and blindly finds Gueira’s hand, takes it. “That’s the only time. I want to take you far away from all this bullshit, somewhere where no one knows who we are and we can just be normal people and I don’t have to constantly be dying of anxiety, worrying about losing you.” 

“Shut up.” Gueira chuckles. Meis can’t see but knows he’s blushing and rolling his eyes. Sometimes Meis lays it on a little thick, but he’s just being honest. 

“Do you?” he asks after a moment. 

“Yes.” Gueira murmurs. “For the exact same reason.” 

Meis squeezes his hand. Gueira lets some more time pass before speaking again. 

“If something happened to you. Like Sagai.” He can’t even say it outright. “My life would be over.” 

Meis inhales shakily. That’s been their mutual understanding for ages now, but neither of them have ever said it out loud. He sits up, pulls Gueira up too, and crushes him in a tight hug. Gueira clings to him, burying his face in Meis’ shoulder. He sniffles, hiccups a little, and Meis realizes he’s crying. Tears sting Meis’ eyes automatically; he can’t cry in front of the others, but he can cry in front of Gueira. 

“I’m so glad you found me in that cave. During the lightning storm.” Gueira laughs wetly. 

“Me too, bug.” 

Meis isn’t very good with words, so he hopes the strength of his arms around Gueira are enough to convey his emotions. How much he loves him. How his loyalty will always be to him, above everything else. They stay like that for a long time, just holding onto each other under the vastness of the night sky. 

“I think you were right.” Gueira eventually says, sitting back a little so he can wipe at his eyes. 

“Bout what?” 

“Coming out here. Feels a lot better than being in that damn… depression cave.” 

“Mm.” 

“Feels like everything is gonna be okay. You know? We’ll get back on our feet. We’ll figure it out. This doesn’t have to be the end.” 

Meis looks at him, this beautiful creature so full of hope and strength. “Yeah. You’re right. Just one day at a time.” 

“Right. We’re not giving up, then? On Mad Burnish? And Lio?” 

“I’m still with them if you are.” 

“Same.” 

“Let’s do it, then. Let’s save the world.”

Gueira grins and laughs. 

“Okay.” 

His lips against Meis’ give him faith in the future. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know this doesn't fit with Lio-hen. But it makes no sense for Lio to show up and join Mad Burnish literally a day before the events in Promare, so... fuck w me


End file.
